Exiting March: Things were looking good for Oregon in the defensive backfield entering spring drills, despite the loss of senior cornerback Talmadge Jackson III to graduation, and the early departures over the offseason of safeties Javes Lewis and Marcus Davis. The Ducks returned two bona fide stars in cornerback Cliff Harris and free safety John Boyett, and safety Eddie Pleasant was entering his fifth year in the program. There figured to be plenty of options to replace Jackson, starting with senior Anthony Gildon, junior Scott Grady and the talented redshirt freshman trio of Terrance MItchell, Troy Hill and Dior Mathis.

The loss of Lewis, who declared for the draft a year early and was not selected, and Davis, who had knee surgery late last fall, meant that depth was an issue at safety. Brian Jackson played quite well on special teams in 2010, and in spots on defense, but that was the extent of the experience among the players behind Boyett and Pleasant entering spring drills.

April developments: The first-string was largely unchanged all month, with Gildon joining Harris, Boyett and Pleasant on the starting defense. Pleasant was held out of contact for pretty much the entire spring due to some sort of injury that, were it not for his red non-contact jersey, was not apparent to the naked eye. Thus, the real intrigue was lower on the depth chart, and there was plenty to watch over the course of the month. Notably, sophomore Avery Patterson was moved from the crowded cornerback depth chart over to fill the depth void at safety, where he seemed to find a new home.

Redshirt freshman safety Erick Dargan opened a lot of eyes early in the spring with several big plays, just as he did with the scout team last fall. Dargan is one of those guys like Harris who just have a knack for opportunistic plays, and who just needs to demonstrate he can consistently handle his assignments within the defense play in, play out, in order to garner more playing time. Midway through spring, the spotlight shifted to Hill, who passed Grady on the depth chart by displaying a mix of ball-hawking against the pass and physical play against the run. Mitchell was entrenched with the No. 2 defense, and by the second half of April, Hill was right there with him.

May and beyond: Gildon probably stands to suffer the same fate as Jackson before him; he's steady but unspectacular and so, particularly because he's across the field from the dynamic Harris, fans won't be blown away by his performance. But he's experienced, reliable and athletic enough to make plays when they present themselves, all traits that coaches value. It also won't help him that the guys behind him on the depth chart, Mitchell and Hill, look so promising. Considering all that, I'll just go ahead and predict right now that Gildon is the starter Oregon fans call to be replaced earliest and most often. (It's a good thing cornerbacks by their nature have thick skin; sorry for the rant.)

Come fall, I anticipate Jackson playing quite a bit behind Boyett and Pleasant; the other reserve safeties perhaps need to show a little more in fall camp to earn more playing time. If nothing else, Issac Dixon looks like a contributor on special teams after enrolling for spring drills. Likewise, while Dior Mathis has a few guys ahead of him at cornerback, the speedy redshirt freshman could help as a returner in 2011 if called upon. The cornerback spots will get yet another infusion of talent when freshman Ifo Ekpre-Olomu enrolls.

PRE-SPRING HYPOTHETICALSFrom my position preview entering drills …

The Ducks will feel good entering the summer if: Gildon or one of the young guys cements himself as a starter, giving the Ducks a set rotation entering fall camp.

Questions will linger into the summer months if: Only a catastrophic injury or two would keep Oregon from feeling good about the secondary entering the 2011 season.

One month later: Gildon did indeed step into Jackson's slot to solidify the starting lineup, and the other guys avoided significant injury to set the stage for a deep, talented secondary in the fall.